Archive for March, 2008

The second half of my life will be black
to the white rind of the old and fading moon.
The second half of my life will be water
over the cracked floor of these desert years.
I will land on my feet this time,
knowing at least two languages and who
my friends are. I will dress for the
occasion, and my hair shall be
whatever color I please.
Everyone will go on celebrating the old
birthday, counting the years as usual,
but I will count myself new from this
inception, this imprint of my own desire.

The second half of my life will be swift,
past leaning fenceposts, a gravel shoulder,
asphalt tickets, the beckon of open road.
The second half of my life will be wide-eyed,
fingers shifting through fine sands,
arms loose at my sides, wandering feet.
There will be new dreams every night,
and the drapes will never be closed.
I will toss my string of keys into a deep
well and old letters into the grate.

The second half of my life will be ice
breaking up on the river, rain
soaking the fields, a hand
held out, a fire,
and smoke going
upward, always up.

This article appeared in the Guardian on Tuesday January 29 2008 on p12 of the UK news section. It was last updated at 09:23 on January 29 2008.

People are most likely to become depressed in middle age, according to a worldwide study of happiness. The team of economists leading the work found that we are happiest towards the beginning and end of our lives, leaving us most miserable in middle years between 40 and 50.

The results, published in the journal Social Science & Medicine, showed that people’s levels of happiness followed a U-shaped curve, a pattern that was remarkably consistent in the vast majority of countries the researchers looked at, from Azerbaijan to Zimbabwe.

For both men and women in the UK, the probability of depression peaked at around the age of 44. In the US, men were most likely to be unhappiest at 50, while for women the age was 40.

Andrew Oswald, from the University of Warwick, and David Blanchflower, from Dartmouth College in the US, led a study of more than 2 million people from 80 countries to find if happiness was related to age.

They found that the signs of mid-life depression were consistent across many groups of people, irrespective of socio-economic status, whether they had children in the house, were divorced, or were facing changes in jobs or income.

“Some people suffer more than others but in our data the average effect is large,” said Oswald.

“What causes this apparently U-shaped curve, and its similar shape in different parts of the developed and even often developing world, is unknown.

“However, one possibility is that individuals learn to adapt to their strengths and weaknesses, and in mid-life quell their infeasible aspirations. Another possibility is that cheerful people live systematically longer.”

A third possibility is that older people might compare their lives with their peers’. Seeing their friends die could mean people value their remaining years more highly.

Oswald added: “It looks from the data like something happens deep inside humans. For the average person in the modern world, the dip in mental health and happiness comes on slowly, not suddenly in a single year.

“Only in their 50s do most people emerge from the low period. But encouragingly, by the time you are 70, if you are still physically fit then on average you are as happy and mentally healthy as a 20-year-old. Perhaps realising that such feelings are completely normal in mid-life might even help individuals survive this phase better.”

A total of 72 countries were found to follow the U-shaped pattern of happiness. In the eight countries that did not seem to follow the pattern – mostly developing countries – Oswald said that the available data had been less robust, so discerning patterns had been difficult. He added that shorter lifespans might skew the results of a country.

also Email the Lobbyist on this Issue: Bob Asztalos
and/or Fax (850) 224-7968 so that he can also hand deliver

Please note the fax numbers in Tallahassee are unlisted; those listed are for their local office and are probably less effective than a Personal phone call to their staff member.

Help ER docs in Florida and the US – ACTION NOW !!!
Act Now

Help ER docs in Florida and the US – ACTION NOW !!!

Members and Friends of AEP, ER docs in Florida need your help TODAY. NOW!!!

Please read and act below.

The Florida Chapter of ACEP and others are at it again. The attack of non-EM-RT docs is on again. Senate Bill 1184 in Florida is scheduled for a hearing in Tallahassee Wednesday March 12 at 2:30pm. The bills unintended consequences will lead to:

increased staffing shortages in rural and small ERs
increased worsening of the ER doc shortage
creation of an “artificial” shortage of BC ER docs
increased migration of ER docs out of Florida
We need you to act today. The following are members of the Fla Senate committee hearing the bill on Wednesday. Please take a moment to email, fax and/or call these legislators and lets bombard them with the other side of this issue. All you need to do is explain who you are and that you oppose this bill. There is power in numbers. If you have friends or family who are voters in Florida please have them to make calls too.

On the other side of the camp is the Florida chapter of ACEP who is having their annual legislative meeting in Tallahassee that very same day and they will be out in force.

Print out this News Flash
Create a Generic Letter Saying You Are a Doctor (patient, citizen, etc.), Concerned about the Unintended Consequences and that you Oppose SB 1184
Have Your Office Staff Fax Your Letter 9 times
Make 8 Quick Phone Calls and Leave Your Message
Forward the Info on to Any Family or Friends Who Vote in Florida
atwater.jeff.web@flsenate.gov,
alexander.jd.web@flsenate.gov,
aronberg.dave.web@flsenate.gov,
fasano.mike.web@flsenate.gov,
jones.dennis.web@flsenate.gov,
lawson.alfred.web@flsenate.gov,
peaden.durell.web@flsenate.gov,
siplin.gary.web@flsenate.gov,
bob@baahealth.us